Happy Holidays!

For the first time in about five years, I actually bought a Christmas tree! And even decorated it! And I’m having the whole family over for Christmas Day. Usually we do it at my sister’s house, but I made the executive decision to have it at my house this time instead of making her do all the work. I love having everyone over, but, a little secret just between you and me, it’s also a really good way to force myself to do the spring cleaning I didn’t get to last Spring! Here’s a photo of my tiny tree (with flash and without so you can see the lights). Having such a small tree is great because it makes it look like there are so many Christmas presents under there, when in actuality, we have a $20 limit per person. But let me tell you, when you think small, you can get a ton of stuff for $20!

We’re going to have the traditional English dinner that I remember from when I was a child: roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, with roasted potatoes and cauliflower in cheese sauce. The last time we made it at my house, my mother accidentally unscrewed the blender incorrectly and dumped the Yorkshire mixture all over the floor. Poor dear, she was mortified! But we just made another batch, and the Yorkshires were perfect. Now, for dessert, we’re going to have my mother’s very own special English trifle. Gosh, that stuff is good.

So, what is your traditional holiday like, whether it’s Christmas, Hanukkah, or whatever? Anyone doing anything fun and exciting for New Year’s?

Leave a comment and your contact e-mail address and I’ll enter you in the drawing for a copy of Barbara Freethy’s Suddenly One Summer. Barbara is a great writer, and in my local RWA chapter. I’ll announce the winner on my next blog, and I’ll also add you to my newsletter for updates if you aren’t already a member. And congratulations to Deidre, winner of Tara Janzen’s Loose and Easy from my previous blog. Please email me on skully at skullybuzz dot com, Deidre, and I’ll get the book sent out to you!

Don’t forget to stop by and check out Dead to the Max and Mine Until Morning, Book 3 in my Courtesans Tales. Tomorrow (Dec 21) I’ll be blogging on Crystal's Erotiblog, so pop over for a chance to win a copy of Yours for the Night, the first book in the Courtesans Tales.

Meet Emmitt!

I had a marvelous Thanksgiving holiday with my mom and a wonderful visit out to my brothers. One of the highlights of the trip was meeting Chelle and Emmitt. Chelle is a great fan of mine (whoohoo, thank you, Chelle, for making my entire year), and I fell in love with her baby Emmitt. That's me with Emmitt investigating my arm. He’s adorable, don’t you agree? He’s a 4-year-old Capuchin monkey (Chelle, beat me if I got that wrong!) and his general life span is forty years. His tail is tremendously strong. He’s been raised as a service animal, knows how to turn doorknobs and work the IPad (as you can see!). These monkeys can be trained to open bottles, dial 911 on special phones, pick up dropped items, and even work the remote! I’m sure there are a host of other things they can do, too. I hope you enjoy these photos courtesy of my sister-in-law Lynn on her phone (why didn’t I think of taking my camera, smack me upside the head!). I especially love the one below with Chelle, Emmitt, and Cookie Monster! I have a photo of my dear departed Eddie Munster (the cat) with Cookie Monster on my fridge. Thanks for having us over, Chelle! It was wonderful!

Thanks for stopping by and meeting Emmitt! Leave a comment and your contact e-mail address and I’ll enter you in the drawing for a copy of Tara Janzen’s Loose and Easy. I’ll announce the winner on my next blog in approximately two weeks, and I’ll also add you to my newsletter for updates if you aren’t already a member.

Don’t forget to stop by and check out Dead to the Max in PRINT with a fresh new cover look and a text revamp! Tomorrow Mine Until Morning, Book 3 in my Courtesans Tales, will be released in stores. Don't miss the excerpt on my site. To celebrate, I’ll be blogging on the Tote Blog tomorrow (Dec 7) with a chance to win a copy of Hers for the Evening, the second book in the Courtesans Tales. So be sure to stop by!

Guest Blogger Rosemary Gunn

A little business first! Congratulations to Estella on winning last week's blog, a copy of Marianne Stillings Sighs Matter! I've got your address, Estella and I'll get the book mailed out to you as soon as I get back from vacation (next week!).

And now, I'd like to introduce my special guest Rosemary Gunn. I had the great pleasure of reading an advance copy of Hearts A Plenty and let me tell you, it's a thrill a minute, sexy, touching, emotional, this story has everything! Enjoy the excerpt! Thanks for being here, Rosemary! And Open Proposal is a wonderfully sexy story, too!

Hello everyone and thanks for stopping by! I’m thrilled to be here to talk about my new release Hearts A Plenty, Book 1 of my Vintage Love series. Thank you SO much for having me, Jas!! You’re the best! I'll be giving away a print copy of my book, Open Proposal. All you need to do is answer the question following the excerpt below to be eligible to win. Good luck!

Welcome to Awry, the sleepy Midwest town where family roots run deep and friendships deeper; where passion burns white-hot and secrets are everybody’s business.

Hearts A Plenty brings us into the lives of lovers Claire and Jared, as they prepare for a visit from Claire’s stepbrother, Mark.

Excerpt from Chapter One
“Of course, I’ll be there. It’s been weeks since I’ve seen you and Daddy and I’m dying to see Jill’s baby.”

Claire Mason wandered around the condo as she talked on the phone, a habit that Jared Young had enjoyed watching during their many months of dating. He listened as she made her way through the kitchen into the living room then back down the hall toward the entry. He was surprised the floor didn’t show signs of wear from the circular route she typically traveled.

As part owner of an architectural salvage business, Claire’s place had an eclectic blend of many different eras. The brass and stained-glass light from the early twentieth century in the entrance illuminated a rough strip of barn wood lined with metal hooks and the jackets hanging there. In the hallway leading to the entry, an antique cherry-picking ladder attached horizontally to the wall provided the perfect complement for the black-and-white family photos showcased between the rungs.

The furnishings she used to create her home provided some insight about her quirky tastes and passion for her business, but none of it really mattered to Jared. He’d been content in the office/living area above his restaurant before more of his stuff started staying at her place than his.

From his vantage point he could see her reflection in the ornate floor mirror by the front door. Strain pulled at her soft lips and tightened the delicate curve of her jaw. Her sadness tugged at his heart. She stopped and leaned her forehead against the wall. The lavender in the old metal newspaper box that was secured upright usually helped to calm her, but it wasn’t working tonight. She closed her eyes and shook her head, maybe hoping some of her denial to whatever Dorothy was saying would travel telepathically through the phone.

Jared had been stretched out on the vintage sofa watching Claire as she talked to her stepmother, but now went to her and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. She wore a white tailored blouse with a classy high neck, unbuttoned just enough to hint at the delicious upper curves of her breasts, and a tan wool skirt hugged her hips. Just like her home decor, it made no difference to him what she wore; she always looked beautiful. She’d worked at the shop and attended a meeting today, but her T-shirts and jeans got him riled up as well. He’d like it if she’d wear just nothing at all. He didn’t have any problem wrapping his body around her curves and keeping her warm on the cold Michigan nights.

She settled against him. He heard and felt the steadying breath she took, knowing she drew strength from his touch. He had a feeling about where the topic had turned, which was confirmed by her next words.

“And Mark knows of this proposed arrangement?” Jared smoothed his hands up her sides over her ribs, feeling the soft shiver of awareness flutter through her. His own body tensed as he waited for Claire’s side of the conversation. He cupped the fullness of her breasts, rubbing the hard peaks through the crisp cotton and thin lace covering them.

“I realize that we’re family, Dorothy.” Emphasis obviously being repeated, though Claire’s words had a breathless quality that Dorothy Pierce-Mason’s had probably lacked. “That doesn’t necessarily mean that Mark is going to feel comfortable staying at my place while he’s here.” Another silence as Claire listened. Jared’s heart had settled somewhere in his throat as his mind quickly sifted through the many possibilities in the near future.

Okay, so now you've had a brief introduction to our couple. What would Jared like to see Claire wear all the time? (Remember to include your email address in your comment.)

Thanks again for stopping by and to Jas for inviting me to visit will you all! Be sure to stop my blog at rosemarygunn.blogspot.com for another opportunity to win a print copy of Open Proposal!

Happy Holidays,
Rosemary

The Sound of Music!

My sister sent me the link to a video the other day. And I just have to say I absolutely loved it. I don’t know why, maybe because I’ve always loved The Sound of Music. Almost as much as Beauty and the Beast! Both of which I’m getting on Blu-ray for Christmas (oops, I’m not supposed to know about that, am I?). Take a look at the clip; it’s about 4 minutes long. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EYAUazLI9k It’s pretty amazing. I can just see myself in a BART station here in San Francisco and having all these wonderful people come dancing down into my life. Can you imagine, especially if you didn’t know it was a stunt! If you read the little blurb underneath, it does say that it was rehearsed, but still, what an amazing sight. It made me feel better, happy, just watching it. Okay, go ahead, watch. Then come back tell me if it brightened your day just a bit, too. I’m going to show it to my mom when I go down there to visit today!

Leave a comment and your contact e-mail address and I’ll enter you in the drawing for a copy of Marianne Stillings Sighs Matter, a romantic suspense offering. I’ll announce the winner on my next blog, and I’ll also add you to my newsletter for updates if you aren’t already a member. And congratulations to Kirsten, winner of Proof by Seduction by Courtney Milan from my previous blog. Please email me on skully at skully buzz dot com, Kirsten, and I’ll get the book sent out to you!

Don’t miss the excerpt on my website! Take Your Pick is available from Loose-Id. And coming soon, Dead to the Max will be in print with a fresh new cover look and a text revamp!

Halloween!

First of all, thanks to Crystal Kauffman for stopping by last week and giving us that great story!

It’s almost Halloween! And my favorite thing is to open the front door to all those little ghosts and goblins! Kids are so adorable. I love their costumes, and they get so excited when you tell them how pretty they are as a fairy or scary as a ghost. We live sort of out in the boonies and there are no street lamps, so we don’t get a lot of trick-or-treaters. Most of them go down to town where the stores stay open late and give away candy. But we do get a few brave neighbors, mostly dads bringing their young children around. Hah, you know, it really is Dad that does it the most, very few moms. I’ve never thought about that before! Gosh, when I was a kid, we’d never let DAD take us around! And there were sooooo many kids out there. Basically, the adults had to the man the door from dark until about 9:30 pm, never even closing it. And God forbid they should run out of candy! We’d carry a pillow case and usually had to run home at least once to empty it! Thanks to Rita for the costume photo!

If you have kids or grandkids, what are they wearing for Halloween this year? What is your fondest memory of Halloween as a kid?

Leave a comment and your contact e-mail address and I’ll enter you in the drawing for a copy of Proof by Seduction by Courtney Milan. I’ll announce the winner on my next blog, and I’ll also add you to my newsletter for updates if you aren’t already a member. And congratulations to Rosemary, winner of Soul Song by Marjorie Lui from my previous blog. And you know I’ve already got your address, Rosemary, so I’ll get the book sent out to you as soon as I have a car again!

Don’t miss the excerpt on my website! Take Your Pick is available from Loose-Id. And coming, Dead to the Max will be in print within the next few days with a fresh new cover look and a text revamp!

Guest Blogger Crystal Kauffman

I'd like to welcome my very good friend, Crystal Kauffman. She's a wonderful writer, as you can tell from the fantastic excerpt below! So now I turn it over to her!

Hello and thanks for stopping by! It’s day 3 of my world tour promoting my newest release, Saving Lady Ilsa. I’m grateful to Jasmine for having me.

I was doing research of clothing for Claiming Lady Marianne, my first historical romance with Ellora’s Cave, when I came upon a passage that sparked my imagination. It described the pitifully low wages of seamstresses, and how not only many of them barely survived on what they made, but many also suffered unbearable cruelty from their employers. At once, my abused and undervalued heroine Ilsa Bergstrom was conjured. Ilsa is trapped in a wretched shop owned by her brother-in-law, who not only made her to do the housework and cooking as well as sew, but forced her take on her late sister’s “wifely” duties. I hope you like her spirit and determination.

For your enjoyment, here’s chapter three of Secret Seduction, my free short story which takes place parallel to Bradford and Ilsa's story in the servants' quarters.

Chapter Three: Secret Seduction

Vander stayed to the shadows while Angelina danced with an imaginary partner. She waltzed across the narrow path beside the library, listening to the delicate notes streaming through the open windows of the ballroom above.

“That would be more fun if you had a real partner,” he said, announcing his presence.

She whirled around, hands clasped over her mouth. “Oh, you startled me!” she whispered through her fingers. He knew being caught would earn her a firm reprimand, if not dismissal.

“Dance with me.” He offered his hand. “No one shall see us.”

She teetered on the edge of refusal, but risked a glance upward. No one lingered near the balustrade above. “We must be very quiet.”

Not a sound, he mouthed, and she smothered a giggle.

Another moment’s hesitation lingered as she looked at his offered hand before she stepped closer and took it.

Vander’s heart gave a little jump. Her hand was work-roughened, yet small and delicate in his. When she moved into his arms in closed position, he suppressed a murmur of pleased surprise. It soon became evident, however, that she’d never been properly taught the dance. He realized he must pretend a small amount of clumsiness himself, or risk giving himself away. It helped that the path between the darkened library and the immense pine trees lining the side of the manor gave them such a small space. They stepped slowly and quietly in an abbreviated box step.

“You are an exquisite dancer, Miss Angelina.” Truly, though it was a harmless little lie, he had never enjoyed a waltz more. Maybe it was the comfortable rags he wore in his disguise, or the lack of scrutiny typical at those infernal soirees.

Or maybe it was the delicate creature in his arms who smelled of cinnamon and vanilla. Maybe it was this brief, magical moment in which she gazed up at him with moonlight shining in her eyes. And, he dared hope, a teaspoon of affection as well.
She stepped on his toe. He smothered a grunt.

“I’m sorry.”

“No harm.”

His body coursed with heat and his manhood reacted mutinously. She fit so perfectly in his arms he wished never to let her go. These days at Huntington house had been both a brutal eye-opener, and a startling revelation. He’d learned how truly hard the common class worked, and for what little reward. Yet they possessed lively spirits, and complained less than some fops he knew. At this moment, while he knew he would like to hold her like this forever, the idea of simply bedding her had lost its appeal. He needed more than a simple romp.

“Mr. Jones.”

“Yes, Miss Angelina?”

“The waltz has ended.”

A tittering of applause carried across the evening breeze from the ballroom above.
“Then our dance has ended, as well.”

“I’m sorry about your foot.”

He grinned. “A kiss will make it forgotten.”

Angelina eyed him and he held his breath. He would either receive that kiss, or a stinging slap.

When she hid her eyes, he knew good fortune was on his side. She tilted her head and peered up at him coquettishly, and leaned toward him.

The kiss she placed upon his lips touched him as light as a feather. He slipped his arms around her waist and dragged her close, deepening the kiss. She tensed and braced against his shoulders, but in the next instant her body relaxed against his.
Vander tilted his head and urged her lips apart. She went still, and then, to his utter delight, she met his daring with her own. She tasted of sweet confections and magic.

Her body arched against him, sending another flood of heat raging through his core. She fit against him like a puzzle piece that had been missing his whole life, soft and warm, curvy in all the right places. Her kiss ended on a sigh of longing, and for a moment her eyes remained closed.

She touched a fingertip to her lips and looked up at him with awe, as if she’d been somehow changed by that kiss.

“Thank you, Mr. Jones.”

“For the dance?”

She turned away and slipped into the shadows without answering.

* * *

The word in today’s treasure hunt: “play”

Thank you Jasmine for having me! Don’t miss me tomorrow at Debra Glass’s blog for another hint and chapter four of Secret Seduction. For more on this contest and to find links to the previous excerpts, or if you think you can guess the phrase and want to submit your entry, click here.

Good News!

I want you, my loyal blog followers, to be the first to know I’ve got a new contract with Berkley Heat! Whoohoo! My editor wants me to write the next two books in my “DeKnight Trilogy.” I’m so excited, because I love all these characters. Of course, each book in the trilogy follows the story of a different hero and heroine, but they all center around a manufacturing company based in Silicon Valley that I’ve called DeKnight Inc. They are hugely emotional stories that deal with some of the worst things that can happen in a person’s life. How do you heal after tragedy? It’s all in the power of love, of course. The first book, Past Midnight, will be available next May. After Dark and After Hours are the two books in the new contract! Here’s a little blurb for Past Midnight to whet your appetite.

How far will they go....past midnight

Erin and Dominic DeKnight had the perfect life—until a devastating blow rocked their marriage to the core. Now they only reconnect after dark, when sleepless nights become hours of ecstasy as they soothe emotional pain with physical pleasure—but still wake up feeling distant and alone.
Dominic refuses to give up on the relationship. To save their marriage, he sets up erotic adventures that take them far beyond the boundaries of both their comfort zones. As their love life moves from the privacy of their bedroom to public parties and sex retreats where anything is possible, will Dominic and Erin form a deeper bond…or will they lose it all?

Leave a comment and your contact e-mail address and I’ll enter you in the drawing for a copy of Soul Song by Marjorie Lui. I’ll announce the winner on my next blog, and I’ll also add you to my newsletter for updates if you aren’t already a member. And congratulations to Mariska, winner of Ain’t She Sweet by Susan Elizabeth Phillips from my previous blog. Mariska, please e-mail me on skully at skullybuzz dot com with your snailmail and I’ll get the book sent out to you.

And here’s a heads up for my next Jasmine blog. I’ll be having special guest Crystal Kauffman on October 5th. She’ll be giving you an excerpt from a short story. If you follow her blog tour, you’ll be able to read the whole story!

Don’t miss the excerpt on my website! Take Your Pick is available from Loose-Id. And of course, Dead to the Max is available on Amazon Kindle and Smashwords with a fresh new cover look and a text revamp.

Sinful Treats

Whoohoo, my computer is up and running with its new hard drive! Cross your fingers for me that it lasts!

So, this weekend I went down to my mom’s old folks home for a barbecue. They had different jazz bands set up around the compound and lots of good food. I like the New Orleans jazz style the best. And gosh, it was even sunny down in Pacific Grove! Summer weather there is kinda iffie, lots of fog blanketing the coast. But both Friday and Saturday were downright hot! My mom was so excited about getting her ice cream for dessert. The rest of the food, she could care less. Me, I skipped the ice cream so I could have another BBQd rib. Mom prefers sweet stuff, and I prefer savory. I’d much rather skip dessert to have another piece of filet mignon. Or teriyaki chicken. Not that I don’t enjoy my chocolate. Hubby and I have our treat in the evening, one Lindor truffle! Or a peppermint pattie. He likes the dark chocolate truffles, I love the white chocolate. You have to give yourself a treat every once in a while, no matter that treat is. After all, we all work hard and we deserve it!

So, what’s your most sinful treat? Leave a comment and your contact e-mail address and I’ll enter you in the drawing for a copy of Ain’t She Sweet by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I loved this book! Romances don’t do well as audio books, I’m not sure why, but the one played beautifully. I’ll announce the winner on my next blog, and I’ll also add you to my newsletter for updates if you aren’t already a member. And congratulations to Rory, winner of The Seduction of an Unknown Lady by Samantha James from my previous blog. Rory, please e-mail me on skully at skullybuzz dot com with your snailmail and I’ll get the book sent out to you.

Just a reminder, don’t miss the excerpt on my website, but wear those oven mitts, because it’s explicit right from the get-go! Take Your Pick is available from Loose-Id.

And of course, Dead to the Max is finally available on Amazon Kindle with a fresh new cover look and a text revamp.

Internet Horror Stories!

Sorry I’m late getting this blog up! My computer woes seem to have become endless. My hard drive finally died on my desktop computer. Luckily, it’s being replaced under warranty. But that means I’m without my regular computer for at least 3 weeks. Luckily, I had everything backed up. Learned from the last time, a couple of months ago, when the computer died and I had to do a complete system restore. Obviously, that restore only lasted two months. Okay, so now I’m using a combination of my old laptop which is reeeeeeeeally slow and my netbook. The netbook is where I’m doing all my internet work and the laptop is for all the work in Word. Then Sunday, I get this weird message about “conflicting IP addresses” and all of a sudden I can’t get into the Internet on the netbook! I was fit to be tied. I couldn’t figure it out! Neither could my husband. I rebooted the modem, etc, etc. Honestly, I don’t know much about all this stuff. As computers and software get more complicated, I’m at a loss. I wanted to cry! I just want to look up my e-mail and do my work, that’s all!

So, after all this whining, I called my security software provider, my Internet service provider, and finally, they sent me to my Router manufacturer. Who solved my problem and gave me a new IP address to type in!!! Okay, it doesn’t really all make sense to me. But at least it’s fixed. And my desktop computer has been received in the warranty department. Whew! But really, all this technology will be the death of me!

So, what’s your worst Internet or computer nightmare? Leave a comment and your contact e-mail address and I’ll enter you in the drawing for a copy of The Seduction of an Unknown Lady by Samantha James. This wonderful book was nominated for in several contests. I’ll announce the winner on my next blog, and I’ll also add you to my newsletter for updates if you aren’t already a member. And congratulations to KimmyL, winner of Kathrynn Dennis’s Shadow Rider from my previous blog. Kimmy, please e-mail me on skully at skullybuzz dot com with your snailmail and I’ll get the book sent out to you.

Just a reminder, don’t miss the Take Your Pick excerpt on my website, but wear those oven mitts, because it’s explicit right from the get-go! Take Your Pick is available from Loose-Id.

And of course, Dead to the Max is finally available on Amazon Kindle with a fresh new cover look and a text revamp. And thanks to Rosemary Gunn for the wonderful covers she made for me!

Take Your Pick by Jasmine Haynes!

I’m very excited to announce my Loose-Id e-book, Take Your Pick is out! Now, Take Your Pick is once again a step up on the naughtiness quotient from my Berkley Heat books, a very sexy, fun read. Here’s a short blurb.

Two very different yet enticing men...
one very big choice...

Grant Tyler is sophisticated, intelligent, controlled, and a highly successful CEO of a Fortune 500. He’s Rena Lancaster’s perfect match, same background, same career path, they speak each other’s language. In bed, he makes her see stars. But then there’s Karl Kristiansen. Every bit as virile, masculine and intelligent as Grant, he’s her contractor, earthy, hands work-roughened, body tough, and powerful. And he takes Rena’s senses by storm.
When Grant decides he wants Rena exclusively, he forces a decision on her. And it’s Karl who comes up with the perfect test for choosing between them, make love with them both at the same time, and see who does the best job.
When their sexual play becomes a true ménage, with Grant and Karl each trying to top the other, willing to do anything Reba asks, even touch each other, the three of them together are like spontaneous combustion. Now that she’s had a taste of the real thing, how can Rena choose between these two perfect men when they both give her different things she craves?

What prompted me to write this story? Of course, the fantasy element, wouldn’t it be nice to have two of everything!? But beyond that, I wanted to explore whether a woman could actually be in love with two men at once. What if you were dating two guys and simply could not choose between them because they were both so perfect in very different ways, giving you different things that you crave equally? How do you make that choice? And thus, the story was born. Be warned, there’s some MM activity in there, too! I’m getting very daring. Be sure to check out the excerpt on my website, but wear those oven mitts, because it’s explicit right from the get-go!

So, what do you think? Can you be in love with two men at once? Leave a comment and your contact e-mail address and I’ll enter you in the drawing for a copy of Kathrynn Dennis’s Shadow Rider. This wonderful book was nominated for in several contests. I’ll announce the winner on my next blog, and I’ll also add you to my newsletter for updates if you aren’t already a member. Thanks to everyone for stopping by Bella Andre’s blog, and the winner of Michelle Willingham’s Taming Her Irish Warrior is Carol L! I’ll be sending you an email for your address, Carol.

Dead to the Max is finally available on Amazon Kindle with a fresh new cover look and a text revamp. In coming months, look for the rest of the series and I’ll be working on getting them all in print format, too! Take Your Pleasure is now on Kindle, too!

Welcome Bella!

I’m so happy to have Bella Andre as my guest this week! I love her books! And what a great excerpt! I’m continuing the same giveaway from my blog, Taming Her Irish Warrior by Michelle Willingham. So be sure to leave a comment and your email address. I’ll be announcing the winner on my next blog on Aug 16, and I’ll also add you to my newsletter for updates.

A quick plug for me before I hand it over to Bella. The first book in the Max Starr series, Dead to the Max, is up on Amazon Kindle. Be sure to check it out!

And away we go, Bella, thanks so much for stopping by!

Hello! I'm so thrilled that Jasmine has invited me to be a guest here today. She is not only one of my favorite writers, but she also happens to be one of my very favorite people too.

And I'm also thrilled to get the chance to tell everyone about my brand new (very) sexy contemporary release, called LOVE ME. Five years ago I wrote TAKE ME, a book with a full-figured heroine and a whole lot of unrequited love that was about to explode into crazy passion between Lily and Travis, my heroine and hero. Ever since then, I've received email after email asking me when I was going to write the sequel. Finally, this spring, I got the chance to write Luke and Janica's book, the hero and heroine's respective brother and sister.

I had so much fun revisiting these characters as I wrote LOVE ME. It's amazing the things that will happen when you've been walking around with a hero and heroine inside your head for five years. :) Thanks again to Jasmine for the chance to drop by and say hello. I can't wait to get to know you all better.

LOVE ME
by Bella Andre
(available only as an ebook on kindle & smashwords or by ordering the paperback through Amazon and other online retailers)


Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003U6ZK06


Print (via Amazon):
http://www.amazon.com/Love-Me-Take-sequel/dp/1453669973/ref=tmm_pap_title_0


ebook for Non-US/non-Kindle users:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/18589


It's been five years since Lily Ellis and Travis Carson got married and fell in love in TAKE ME....now it's finally time for Janica Ellis and Luke Carson to get their very own happy ending.

If there's one thing that Janica Ellis is absolutely certain of, it's that she and Luke Carson are totally wrong for each other. She's a wild, artistic and outspoken fashion designer. He's a type A, workaholic trauma surgeon (who just happens to be sizzling hot and her brother-in-law!). But Janica is about to be proven wrong when opposites attract...in the sexiest possible way.

After a life-changing night in the ER, Luke is desperate for escape - and relief from his personal demons. For five years he has fought his attraction to his sister-in-law, but when he's pushed too far, he can't fight it another second. He needs her. Desperately. He's spent his whole life doing the right thing. For one night, he's going to follow desire instead. Straight into Janica's arms.

Janica can't believe Luke is finally at her front door...and that he's kissing her like he's been waiting his whole life to touch her. But even as their sensual connection deepens with every touch of skin on skin - and the man she always thought was such a good boy turns out to be sinfully, toe-curlingly bad between the sheets - Janica soon realizes she wants more than Luke's body. She wants his heart too. But what will Luke do when one night of extreme passion turns into an all or nothing proposition?

Excerpt
copyright Bella Andre, 2010

Janica couldn't get enough of Luke.

She could feel the warmth of his skin beneath his clothes as her hands roamed down his back, then back up and across his broad, muscular shoulders, but it wasn't good enough. She wanted to know the feel of him beneath her fingertips.

Skin on skin.

Let the love begin.

Oh yeah.

She couldn't remember ever feeling like this, so utterly consumed by a man, so frantic to get him naked, to feast her eyes and hands and mouth on every inch of his body. Sex had always been at the top of her favorite-things list, but this desire-this total, all-encompassing need-was something else entirely.

So different, in fact, that as she yanked his T-shirt out of his pants and broke their kiss long enough to pull it up over his head, she started freaking out a little bit.

Because with his torso bared before her, with all of that hard heat at her disposal to caress and run her tongue across, she wanted so many things so powerfully all at once that instead of being able to do any of them she found herself paralyzed.

Pressing her hands flat against his chest, she could feel the beating of his heart against her palms. A hard, fast pounding that mirrored her own heartbeat.

So many years she'd dreamed of this moment, so many years she'd thought it would never come, and now that it had, she felt almost frightened.

She lifted her eyes to his at the exact moment that her heart said, I love you.

No.

She stumbled back from Luke, or tried to, but his arms were faster than she was.

She hadn't read love in his eyes at any point so far tonight, only lust. Pure lust. And now he was saying, "Yes or no?" in a low voice that rumbled through her entire body like a sensual earthquake.

Oh god. It couldn't be true.

She couldn't be in love with Luke.

Of all the stupid things to feel for him, love was definitely the stupidest.

She swallowed hard, made herself locate her voice, which felt like it had dropped way down deep into her toes.
"To what question?"

"Tonight. This. You and me."

Ah, now she got it. He was asking her if she could forget about who they were. About their past. About how this could thoroughly complicate their future. He was asking her to make a choice between risking everything she was for this one night...or running scared from it.

She hadn't been afraid of anything for a very long time. So why, she wondered helplessly, was she afraid now?

And why had her brain actually thrown the word love into the mix?

His hands were warm on the small of her back, just above the curve of her ass. The heat of his bare chest radiated out to her as she stood in his arms. A bone-deep longing to shut her eyes and lay her head against him while he held her close hit her hard.

God, what was wrong with her tonight? Here she was on the verge of getting everything she'd ever wanted and instead of grabbing Luke with both hands, dragging him to her bedroom, and having her dirty way with him, she was freaking out.

"Yes or no?" he repeated.

She tried to say yes, but all she could get out was, "You already know the answer."

He shook his head, just as she'd known he would. He wasn't the kind of man you could fool. He was too smart. Too quick.

"I want to hear you say it, Janica. I need to hear you say it."

His need rocked through her. She couldn't say no to him. Just as she couldn't say no to herself, to her own desperate need.

She licked her lips. Opened her mouth. Finally whispered, "Yes."

That one small word was all it took for him to take over.

New Places to go!

Congratulations to Virginia! You’ve won Laura Griffin’s Unspeakable. You’re going to love this book! It was great. I’ll send you an e-mail to get your snail mail or you can email me on skully at skullybuzz dot com. And let’s all wish Laura good luck. At the upcoming Romance Writers of America National conference in Orlando, she’s up for both a Rita Award (the most prestigious Romance award) and the Daphne DuMaurier Award for romantic suspense. I won the Daphne for my first book Sex and the Serial Killer, and I can tell you it was the greatest honor. Good luck, Laura!

I have another great book to offer, Taming Her Irish Warrior by Michelle Willingham. I really loved this story, and it’s also another Rita nominee in the historical category. Good luck to Michelle, too! I’ll be announcing the winner on my next blog on Aug 16.

I have a diners club card for earning extra airline miles. And they’ve always got these little specials they’re running. The truth is we don’t eat often, I mostly cook, but I’m on this mileage kick now because I’m saving to go to RWA in New York next year. So, this month, if you go to a new restaurant within the network, you get an extra 500 miles. Who wouldn’t want that? My husband and his brother are working on fixing up the garage, adding new shelves, cleaning out all the detritus of from the million years we’ve lived here, and as payment I took them out to a new restaurant. It was just plain American food, hamburgers, BBQ pork sandwiches. There was a Harley motorcycle club having lunch there, too. And the place is only 5 miles from my house. I don’t know why we’ve never been there before! Anyway, we had a great time, I had a Maui burger with pineapple and Teriyaki. And I earned all those extra miles! Now, if I go out on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, I get double miles, plus the bonus miles if we try somewhere new! So I’m taking my mother to dinner on Monday to a new Chinese place that she’s never gone to before. She thinks it’s great fun, and Chinese is one of her favorites, though she’s pretty fond of Panda Express. It’s hard to tear her away!

So, what are your favorite restaurants or sinful foods? Leave a comment and your contact e-mail address and I’ll enter you in the drawing for Michelle’s Taming Her Irish Warrior. I’ll also add you to my newsletter for updates if you aren’t already a member.

Don’t forget to stop by the Tote Blog on Aug 3rd. I’ll be offering Fair Game as a prize. And on the next Jasmine blog, I’ll be telling you all about my August 17th release, Take Your Pick. Speaking of which, here’s the cover by Croco Designs. Isn't it great! Stop by the site for a sneak preview!

Fireworks in Tahoe!

Congratulations to Tamsyn! You’ve won One Snowy Knight by Deborah MacGillivray. I’ll send you an e-mail to get your snail mail or you can email me on skully at skullybuzz dot com.

I have a wonderful new offering for this blog. Laura Griffin was nice enough to provide a signed copy of her newest release, Unspeakable. While I was in Tahoe, I had the great pleasure of reading the book, and it was a wonderful romantic suspense! I loved the chemistry between Elaina and Troy, and the mystery was done extremely well, very believable and tense. I’d call it an FBI profiler/serial killer book. This is the second in a series, Untraceable was the first, and I can hardly wait for the next book, Unforgivable, which will be feature Mia and Santos from Unspeakable. Their exchanges were combustible, and I’m dying to read their story, too. Thanks to Laura for providing the book!

I just returned from a week in Tahoe, which is why I’m a week late on putting out this blog. The weather was gorgeous up there! We watched the fireworks set off on the lake. They did a fantastic job. I haven’t stayed up late enough to see fireworks in years! My camera isn’t really designed for fireworks, but here’s a taste. They shoot the fireworks off from a barge in the middle of the lake, and we were lucky enough to be able to see another set from Beacon Bay (at least that’s what someone said) behind us. Double the pleasure!

Of course, my family and I did a lot of hiking, sometimes right out our back door and sometimes up into the mountains. This waterfall was on the way to Grass Lake. There was a little cabin perched on the side of it overlooking. Wow, wouldn't that be the coolest place to have your Tahoe cabin!

We also took my mom on a really nice walk along a fire road out of Meeks Bay. She loved it! And she walked for 2.5 miles! This is a photo of Mom, my sister, and my sister-in-law. Would you look at that lupin, too? Gorgeous. Needless to say, we all had a wonderful time!

So, what are your summer holiday plans? Leave a comment and your contact e-mail address and I’ll enter you in the drawing for Laura Griffin’s Unspeakable. I’ll also add you to my newsletter for updates if you aren’t already a member.

Silly Things We Collect

You have an extra week to post and enter the book contest! I'll be on vacation in Tahoe. So post away!

Thanks to Bella, Anne and Laura for stopping by the last blog! And Elaine, you’re the lucky winner of Laura Griffin’s Whisper of Warning. I think you’re going to love it! I’ll e-mail you for your address. Yes, I do have it, but my computer crashed (totally dead-dead-dead) and the address is on that one! Not to worry; the techs are working on it now and will create miracles!

Okay, so, I’ve been working out in my garden. I don’t have grass; we live in the mountains. I have redwood and pine and oak. And a LOT of weeds! So I’ve been cleaning out the weeds (has to be done once a year, fire danger, you know). But I got this weird need to make a dinosaur garden. Hmm, it’s a rock garden with plastic dinosaurs. I sent my husband down to the local thrift store to see what interesting dinosaurs he could find. Actually, I sent him a couple of weeks ago and my neighbor works there so he asked her to be on the lookout. Well, oh my God, when he went there on Saturday, she’d collected a whole box for me! Call me a child, but I had a lot of fun setting my little dinosaurs out. I think I need more rocks, though. And I think I need to move the garden so that it’s right outside my office window. Then I can see my dinosaurs going to the water hole. Call me crazy, but ya gotta have a little fun in life. And since I don’t have kids to make a dinosaur garden, I had to do it myself.

So, feel like revealing your silly, or even your not-so-silly collections? Let’s have some fun with this. Leave a comment and your contact e-mail address and I’ll enter you in the drawing for One Snowy Knight by Deborah MacGillivray. It’s a medieval, and I love them! I’ll also add you to my newsletter for updates if you aren’t already a member.

And don’t miss the Tote Blog, I’ll be over there on July 2nd giving away something fun!

Readers Groups

Thanks so much for being with us last time, Bella Andre! And congratulations to Booklover on winning Bella’s Wild Heat! I picked up my very own copy of Never Too Hot (with an autograph, whoohoo!) and had a luxurious evening reading in the tub last night! It’s great. For those of you who haven’t rushed out yet, get it right away!

Bella signed for my book group last week along with Anne Mallory. I’ve belonged to the group for over five years. It’s run by Ellen Higuchi at my local Borders in Los Gatos. Ellen is the BEST bookseller and the group is wonderful! Ellen hands out ARCs (advance reader copies) and we do reviews on them which are reported back to Borders Corporate. Plus we all do a lot of reading besides the ARCs, so we get lots of feedback on what everyone else has read during the month. And it’s all romance! Ellen compiles that list for us and sends it out after the meeting. Thank you, Ellen! As with Bella and Anne, many times we have guest authors signing their latest releases for us. I sign for the group when I’ve got a new book out, too. And LOL, the readers group meeting is my one night out every month! Here’s a few photos of the signing last Wednesday. The photographs are courtesy of Jackie Yau. I also picked up a copy of Anne’s Seven Secrets of Seduction. I can’t wait to read that, too! The group highly recommended both authors’ books. So many books, so little time!

So tell us, do you belong to a readers group? If not, where do you get your book recommendations? Leave a comment and your contact e-mail address and I’ll enter you in the drawing for Laura Griffin’s Rita-nominated Whisper of Warning. I loved the book! I’ll also add you to my newsletter for updates if you aren’t already a member.

Also, be sure to drop by the Tote blog tomorrow, 6/8, where I'll have more photos and a chance to win Laced with Desire. http://authorsoundrelations.blogspot.com/

Welcome to Bella Andre!

Congratulations, Estella, you are the winner of Olivia Drake’s Seducing the Heiress! I’ll send you an e-mail for your snail mail. Now, as promised, I have special guest Bella Andre visiting this week! She is one of my very favorite authors, and her firefighters are hot! Leave a comment with your email address to be entered to win a copy of Wild Head, the first in the Men of Fire series, winner to be chosen on May 29th. And with that, I turn it over to Bella!


I'm so thrilled Jasmine invited me back to blog with her. Not only do I adore her as a person, but every time one of her books comes out I devour it that day! :)

My new book - NEVER TOO HOT (the third book in my Men of Fire series) – is officially out on Tuesday, so I was thinking I would share an excerpt and talk a bit about the book. Sound good?

NEVER TOO HOT
A TOUCH IGNITES. A FIRE BURNS...AND THE HEAT HAS JUST BEGUN.
Deep in the cool green mountains of the Adirondacks, wounded firefighter Connor MacKenzie has come to rebuild the 100-year-old MacKenzie family cabin--and to be alone. A horrific blaze has left him scarred inside and out and certain of two things: He'll get back on his Hot Shot crew no matter what it takes, and any woman who ventures too close will not stay long.

Ginger Sinclair has been burned by a different kind of fire. Having just escaped from a bad marriage, she's retreated to the safety of the lakeside vacation town in upstate New York to start a new life. She's done with men, with relationships, with the danger of desires that can rage out of control--until she unexpectedly encounters Connor MacKenzie. As a hot summer on the lake grows ever hotter, they find themselves sharing a cabin and a romance that will swiftly engulf them both.

EXCERPT.....
Ginger was wrapped deep in a dark and swirling dream where she was running through a forest full of falling widow makers when a cross between a scream and a roar woke her. Sitting up in bed, her hand on her heart, it only took a second to realize it was coming from Connor's room.

Her stomach clenched with fear as she threw on a flimsy robe and shot out of her room. My god, what could possibly be happening to him? She shoved his door open.

From the dim light in the hall she could see that he wasn't on the bed, but on his feet now, swinging at the air like a tortured beast, his eyes closed, his beautiful face taken over by rage. And deep, deep pain. His fists were closed so tightly the scars on his knuckles stood in out sharp relief and her heart broke into a million pieces as she watched this big, strong man fighting like hell against some demon in his head.

A voice in the back of her mind told her to leave him. That she should let him fight his battles alone. That he would probably break her in two if she got involved and he didn't wake up.

But she couldn't do that.

Not after he'd rushed in to save her from the falling limb tonight. Not after he'd taken the full force of the hit on his own back.

Not after he'd been so gentle, so protective of her out on the beach just hours before.

She ran over to Connor, any thoughts of fear gone. She put her hand on his arm and as soon as he felt her touch, he grabbed her forearm in a vice grip and pulled her against him, her robe opening and falling off her shoulders.

Oh god, he was squeezing her so tight, and she cried out with whatever breath she could find.

“Connor! It's me. Ginger. You're having a bad dream. It's just a dream. Please wake up.”

His eyes opened but she could tell he didn't see her, that he was still trapped in his own personal hell. And then, in a flash, his eyes cleared and he came back to her, to his bedroom, to Poplar Cove.

His chest was rising and falling hard against hers and as their bare skin rubbed together in the back of her mind it registered that he was naked and she nearly was. But it didn't matter. Not when she'd just seen him go through something so horrible, not when she was so worried about him.

“What are you doing in here?” His words were as gruff and hard as he'd been when she'd first met him on the porch.

“I had to come, when I heard the -” She cut herself off as she realized just how much he was going to hate her having seen him like this. “I had to help you.”

His hands that had been so tightly gripping her shoulders moved, slightly at first, down over her shoulder blades, then farther down her spine, to her hips. His next words were so low she almost couldn't make them out.

“And you thought this was how you could help me?”

She could hardly breathe, certainly couldn't move, not when he was still holding her so tightly. Not when leaving his arms was the very last thing her body wanted. And then one of his hands curled into her hair and her head was tilting back and he was kissing her. Every part of her that was woman wanted to take this moment and give into it. Give into him.

Connor needed healing more than anyone she'd ever met and imprisoned in his arms, with his mouth ravaging hers, while his hands cupped her ass as if he owned her, she wanted to be the woman to heal him.

All the while knowing that it wasn't just giving, it was taking, that she was seeking her own pleasure too.

* * * *

I had the most amazing time writing NEVER TOO HOT. I loved the setting at a lake in the Adirondacks. I loved writing about the town and the locals. And I looooooved my hero. Connor MacKenzie is wounded both in and out and, frankly, was simply delicious to be with for the months I wrote the book. :) I like all kinds of heroes – the funny ones and the cocky ones and even the hot mean ones – but right now, I'll admit to a slight preference for the tortured ones. You know, the heroes who so desperately need to love, who so desperately want to love, but just can't. Fortunately, my heroine knows better – and she's not going to give up on him, even when he tries to push her away. LOL.

And on a totally random final note – does anyone have good / exciting / fun news to share? :) I love hearing about great things happening for other people!

Bella
NEVER TOO HOT ~ coming May 25th! ~ http://www.bellaandre.com/

Finding the Gem!

Congratulations, Alison, on winning Jade Lee’s, The Concubine! I’ll send you an e-mail to get your snail mail.

For this blog, I’m still doing historicals, this one by Olivia Drake called Seducing the Heiress. Olivia Drake is a pseudonym of Barbara Dawson Smith. As always, to be eligible for the drawing, leave a comment, and you must type in your email address. I’ll also add you to my newsletter for updates on all the fun stuff and releases, too. I’ll announce the winner on my next blog in two weeks! And speaking of that blog, I’m having special guest Bella Andre and she’ll be giving away a copy of Wild Heat, so don’t miss it!

Last time I talked about writer’s block and fears. Well, I’ve had a complete turnaround! Thanks to all of you for sharing, of course. My RWA (Romance Writers of America) meeting was on Saturday. Now, first, the meeting place is up in Berkley, an hour and a half drive. And it was so sunny and gorgeous on Saturday and I wanted to write, not be inside in a meeting! And plus, let me tell you about getting back home across the Santa Cruz Mountains on a sunny Saturday when everyone wants to go to the beach!!! Nightmarish is the most polite word I can think of. But, I’d promised to drive some of my friends, so well, I had to go. Oh My God! I’m so glad I did. We had Barry Eisler, a mystery writer, speaking. He was wonderful, and everything he said just hit me the right way, and I was furiously writing notes so I could come home and put into practice everything he said! He gave us all a copy of his latest book, too! So see, sometimes, even when you’re grumpy, the whole day can turn around at the snap of a finger.

Have you experienced any miraculous switches in attitude recently?

Don’t forget that the second Courtesans Tales, Hers for the Evening was out last week! Read an excerpt on my site! I really loved writing the stories in this book. Plus Take Your Pleasure is still available!

Writer’s Block!

Congratulations, Princess Mel, on winning Cheryl Holt’s Double Fantasy. I’ll send you an e-mail to get your snail mail, although, Mel, I swear I have it somewhere...I just don’t know where!

For this blog, I’ve got a wonderful historical by Jade Lee, The Concubine. It was sexy and different, a great story, the setting in China. As always, to be eligible for the drawing, leave a comment, and you must type in your email address. I’ll also add you to my newsletter for updates on all the fun stuff and releases, too. I’ll announce the winner on my next blog in two weeks!

Oh my God, I’ve got writer’s block! I swear, I couldn’t figure out what to write for this blog. I’ve got so much to do today because I’ve got a brainstorming lunch with some friends, then I’m going down to see my mom. I see her every other week (yes, I’m keeping that commitment to make sure I see her often!). She’s got a doctor’s appointment tomorrow that I’m taking her to, so I won’t be back until late. So I was trying to write the blog yesterday to get it out of the way. And I had writer’s block! No clue what to write! That made me realize that a lot of interviews I do ask if I ever get writer’s block, and I usually say no. To me, writer’s block is the inability to sit down and write through whatever you’re afraid of. Sometimes it’s the fear that readers will hate your story or reviewers will, which is the basic I’m-not-good-enough syndrome. Or that your story idea is crap. Or that you don't have an idea. Or that the idea is great but you won’t be able to execute it correctly. Or that you’ll never be able to finish the book. Or sell it once you’ve finished it. Writer’s block to me is letting these fears stop you from sitting down at the keyboard and writing. And of course, despite what I say in interviews, sometimes there are days when I just don’t think I can face it. But I sit down and I write, no matter how bad my own little internal editor tells me it is. See, I even wrote this blog! Everyone has fear, whether you’re a writer or not, everyone has things that get in the way of doing something they need or want to do. It’s a matter of doing them anyway.

Got any fears you’d like to share, things that stop you dead in the water? Don’t worry, we’ll keep them secret!

Thanks for supporting Take Your Pleasure! ! Next week is the release of Hers for the Evening, Courtesan Tales 2, and to celebrate, Tuesday, May 4th I’ll be giving away Yours for the Night on ToteBagsNBlogs so don’t forget to stop by!

Take Your Pleasure is out!

Congratulations, Terra, on winning Madeline Hunter’s The Sins of Lord Easterbrook. I’ll send you an e-mail to get your snail mail.

For this blog, I’ve got a wonderful book by Cheryl Holt called Double Fantasy. As always, to be eligible for the drawing, leave a comment, and you must type in your email address. I’ll also add you to my newsletter for updates on all the fun stuff and releases, too. I’ll announce the winner on my next blog in two weeks!

Just an update on the Norwegians. We had a great visit with them. And my hubby’s birthday party was a wonderful success! He got two cakes, a red velvet made by me and a bløtkake by the Norwegians!

And now, I’m proud to say that my first Loose-Id release is out! Take Your Pleasure! I have to admit this is my naughtiest novella yet, and it was so fun to write. It’s got a bit of everything, a little bondage, a little threesome, and yes, a little M/M. So take your seats and be prepared! Now, those of you who follow my blog might notice a bit of a difference in this cover versus the one I posted a couple of blogs ago. I love both of them (by Croco Designs), but we did have to make a little change. Here’s the blurb to whet your appetite!

A naughty little story with a bit of bondage and a very good spanking!

Natalie Beaumonde’s life turns upside down the day she walks in on her boyfriend, Van, playing submissive to a beautiful dominatrix. Not only has she been betrayed, but Natalie loses her belief in herself as a desirable woman. And when she starts making mistakes at work, her career being the one thing she’s always excelled at, she’s in danger of losing her self-worth and her job, too.

Lincoln Masters isn’t like most bosses. Instead of issuing a reprimand, he decides his sexy executive assistant needs a good spanking, something he’s been dying to deliver for almost a year. And afterward, he hatches a plan to help Natalie rebuild her self-confidence and show her wandering man the error of his ways; become the sexy dominatrix her boyfriend is looking for. Being a Master himself, Lincoln’s the perfect dom to help her execute the delectable punishment.

Lincoln’s terms for helping her? He wants a piece of Natalie, too. Suddenly, Natalie finds herself with a growing fascination for her boss and all the exciting, deliciously naughty things he can do for her. When Van’s punishment is complete, can she go back to being just Mr. Masters’ assistant?

And don’t miss the Take Your Pleasure excerpt on my website!

The Norwegians are Coming!

Congratulations, Fedora, on winning Lorraine Heath’s Promise Me Forever! I’ll send you an e-mail to get your snail mail.

As with the last blog, I’m moving back to my historical collection and will be giving away The Sins of Lord Easterbrook by Madeline Hunter. As always, to be eligible for the drawing, leave a comment, and you must type in your email address. I’ll also add you to my newsletter for updates on all the fun stuff and releases, too. I’ll announce the winner on my next blog in two weeks!

Remember that old movie, The Russians are Coming! Late sixties with Alan Arkin. Very funny and silly. And this week I have my own invasion, the Norwegians! My husband’s cousins. They’re coming for two weeks to celebrate hubby’s birthday. Yes, he gets to celebrate for two weeks. Who else gets a birthday that lasts that long? So I hustled to get the first draft of After Midnight done. That’s my next Berkley book. Writers never just write, they always have to rewrite, so I wanted to get the first draft done in order to be able to cogitate on the second draft while the Norwegians are here. And in order to do that, I wrote 60,000 words in March. Whew! That was working 7 days a week. But I did it! Then this weekend we spring-cleaned. I know it’s his birthday, but hubby (let’s just call him the Viking God) had to help. Those windows look so lovely! And I cannot even begin to tell you how much dog hair came out of the couch. Oops maybe I shouldn’t admit that. I’ve been scouring local travel magazines for things to do, too. This is the third visit from our Norwegians, so we have to think of somewhere new to take them. Hearst’s Castle is on the list (don’t miss Hers for the Evening coming in May; Hearst’s Castle is featured!). And I also found lots of fun stuff in Golden Gate Park that I didn’t know was there. Like the windmills! They are Dutch style windmills and right now all the tulips will be out. And of course, there’s the new Academy of Sciences. The old Museum of Natural History which included a planetarium and aquarium was damaged in the ’89 quake, and when the Norwegians visited, there were only two walls standing. And I haven’t been to the new one! So, we’ve got lots of fun things planned. Plus the birthday party for the Viking God. He’s requested a stripper. Um, does he really think he's going to get one!?

And I got some more reading done! Last up was the fourth installment in Shelley Adina’s young adult “All About Us” series called Who Made You A Princess. I loved it! In fact, I love the whole series! There are 6 books, and I’m reading the 5th one now. And the audiobook I’m listening to is The Host by Stephanie Meyer. I know the whole Twilight phenom, but I actually like The Host better. It’s about a race of aliens that take over human bodies, basically they’re parasites, and the resistance against them.

Happy Easter!!!!

The RWA Rita Awards!

Congratulations, Anna Hoque on winning the autographed copy of Kate Perry’s Chosen by Desire! This is a wonderful series! I’ll send you an e-mail to get your snail mail.

I’m moving back to my historical collection and will be giving away Lorraine Heath’s Promise Me Forever. When I go to the Romance Writers of America national conference, I have the pleasure of sitting next to Lorraine at the literacy signing (Heath, Haynes, you get the picture), and Lorraine always has a Rita finalist flag on her table. So you can imagine just how good this book will be! As always, to be eligible for the drawing, leave a comment, and you must type in your email address. I’ll also add you to my newsletter for updates on all the fun stuff and releases, too. I’ll announce the winner on my next blog in two weeks!

So let’s talk about the Rita. This is the award given out by the Romance Writers of America for outstanding romance fiction. Think of it as the Oscar of romance. There’s even a cool gold statue for the winner of the category! I’ve been nominated once, for Somebody’s Lover. And of course I entered Fair Game and Yours for the Night this year, too, so I hope you’ll cross your fingers for me. The interesting thing about this contest is that you are judged by your peers. So to enter the Rita contest, you also have to judge the contest, though not in a category that you’ve entered. I have just finished reading my panel of Rita books and judging them. Of course, I can’t give you specifics until the finalists come out, but once that’s announced, I can make some recommendations for you based on what I read. I have read some books though that were not part of my Rita books, and I can make some recommendations from those. I just finished Hot as Sin by Bella Andre. I loved it! It was a great follow-up to Wild Heat, and I can’t wait for the next book in the series of hot firefighters, Never Too Hot coming in May. I also read Loving Luke by a new author, Jenny Andersen. Loving Luke was also wonderful, about a man coming home after a being imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit.

What have you been reading recently, something new, an old favorite?

And here’s my usual promo. Take Your Pleasure will be coming out from Loose-Id.com on April 13th! And as I promised, here’s the cover! Oh my God, isn’t it gorgeous, sexy and classy. It’s done by Croco Designs. I love it! Drop by the website to read an excerpt. I’m also blogging Wed, March 17, on MysteriesandMargaritas , so be sure to drop by!

Mine Until Morning

Congratulations, Elaine Seymore on winning the autographed copy of Veronica Wolff’s Lord of the Highlands! You’re going to love it! I’ll send you an e-mail to get your snail mail.

I’m giving away something very special again, from another member of my RWA chapter. Kate Perry’s Chosen by Desire. I love Kate’s series! And all the martial arts stuff is very real since she is an expert. As always, to be eligible for the drawing, leave a comment, and you must type in your email address. I’ll also add you to my newsletter for updates on all the fun stuff and releases, too. I’ll announce the winner on my next blog in two weeks!

I’m so pleased to show you the cover for Mine Until Morning, the third book in the Courtesans Tales, which will be available in December. Gosh, I love this cover. I give you Isabel’s story in Mine Until Morning, and for her story, I took a little research trip down to Palm Springs to scope out some settings. It’s always fun figuring out how to incorporate the settings into my stories. I never want to do the same old tired thing. And I think I’ve given you something new, different, sexy, and fun for Isabel. But I’m feeling the itch for another research trip. The Reno Snow train I told you about last blog was very fun, but it was only an overnighter. So where should I take my readers to next time? And where should I take my husband!!?? We haven’t been on a vacation in ages. I feel like a driving trip. I thought of Santa Fe. That could be a lot of fun. Maybe for the balloon festival which I think is in October. But I’m pretty sure I’ll need a vacation before then. We’ve never been up to Oregon. Maybe that would be fun. We’ve also talked about driving across the great Canadian Highway.

I’d love to hear your suggestions of where to go, places you’ve visited that you really enjoyed. So leave me a comment!

Just a little promo. Take Your Pleasure will be coming out from Loose-Id on April 13th! Hopefully for the next blog, I’ll have a cover for it! Also I’ll be blogging tomorrow (Tuesday, March 2) at ToteBagsNBlogs and of course, giving away a book, so be sure to stop by!

Reno Snow Train

Congratulations, Michele L. on winning the last blog’s copy of Yours for the Night by me! Congrats also to the other winners on the cross blog, Limecello, Armenia, and Beth C.

I’m giving away something very special this time, an autographed copy of Veronica Wolff's Lord of the Highlands. I love Veronica’s books! She’s a great writer, and she’s a heck of a nice lady, too! As always, to be eligible for the drawing, leave a comment, and you must type in your email address. I’ll also add you to my newsletter for updates on all the fun stuff and releases, too. I’ll announce the winner on my next blog in two weeks!

My brother and his wife visited from Atlanta a couple of weeks ago, and we did the most amazing trip! We took the snow train from the San Francisco Bay Area up to Reno! Okay, it’s not really called the snow train. It’s the Zephyr, and it goes all the way to Chicago. We just did the day trip to Reno, spent the night at the peppermill, then came back the next day. But the weather was absolutely perfect, giving us a taste of a snow storm the first day, then the fresh snow on the second day.

It snowed on the way up, and for the trip back, it was bright and beautiful with all that clean, white snow and sun. Here’s a photo of Donner Lake the next day. The skiing looked wonderful on the slopes.

We sat in the scenic car which gave us a panoramic view of the mountains. There are seats facing the windows which curve over you. That’s my brother and his wife in the “scenic” seats.

On the way home, we took up a couple of booths and played card games. Here’s my sister, me, Mom, and my sister’s husband. The trip was so much fun. One of the porters kindly gave me a tour of the sleeper cars. Some of the sleepers are just seats that fold out into bunk beds, but the nicer accommodations have a larger sitting area, the seats also folding down into bunk beds, and their own bathroom and shower. So I think you should be looking forward to a story with a train trip! Yes, yes, I’m planning already.

Just a little promo. Stop by Romantic Crush Junkies for a chance to win the entire JB Skully Max Starr series, yes, all five books!. Yup, she’s me, or I’m her, depending on how you look at it. I'm also blogging over at Lucienne Diver's Blog today (Wed), and the prize I'm offering is a copy of Laced with Desire. So give it a shot! And Take Your Pleasure will be coming out on Loose-Id on April 13th!